Have you ever heard of the Heritage USA Theme Park? This theme park and water park in Fort Mill, South Carolina was massive in its heyday. The Christian theme park once spanned over 2,300 acres and included everything from a water park and Main Street USA to a chapel, an ice skating rink, an amphitheater, and even a campground. It would eventually become yet another abandoned place in South Carolina, sitting in plain view and hauntingly beautiful. Ever found yourself wondering “What happened to Heritage USA?” The answer is that the town of Fort Mill grew up around what was once a thriving theme park. There are now new developments in this area, and Heritage USA Theme Park is no more.

Heritage USA Theme Park was an epic attraction that opened its doors in 1978. Less than a decade later, the annual attendance had exploded to a whopping six million visitors per year.
Heritage USA
Flickr/Joe Nitz
The park was opened by famed televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, who had high hopes for the theme park, comparing it to a Christian Disneyland.
Rob Corder/Flickr
The pair even filmed their program, The PTL Club, on-site at Heritage USA's television studio.
Joe Nitz//Flickr
You can find photos of Heritage USA all over the internet. Here's one from 1988 of a Heritage USA theatrical performance of the Passion Play. A year later, the park would close due to financial issues.
Flickr/Joe Nitz
Jim Bakker was involved in several financial scandals, and some parts of the park were damaged by Hurricane Hugo. Between the storm and the scandals, there was no hope for the park's survival.
At Heritage USA today, there are still a few remnants of this once-thriving Christian theme park in South Carolina. Much of the land, though, has been purchased. Buildings have been demolished and repurposed, and attractions are now gone.
Google Maps [satellite view, enhanced]
What was once the Heritage USA Theme Park's water park area is now a subdivision tucked away by the famed Heritage Lake. If you look closely, you still might see the occasional sign that a theme park was once here.

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The former Heritage USA is a favorite spot amongst urban explorers. It's not difficult to find "before" photos to pair with "after" shots from today.
Google Maps [streetview May 2015]
Some remains here are an eerie reminder of the family-centered activities that could be found at Heritage USA Theme Park.
Heritage USA today continues its descent into oblivion. It's sad to see the decay that is taking place where this park stood. This was a place that brought joy to families from all over the world.
Google Maps [streetview March 2016]
The owners of Heritage USA had high hopes of turning a skyscraper into condos that were owned by frequent guests. All those plans fell by the wayside when the park closed. The building that once stood here was rebuilt and now functions as a hotel, conference center, and private condominiums. The hotel's atrium serves as a church for a local congregation.
Across the street is the former theme park's chapel. When the park was open, this was known as the "Upper Room."
Google Maps [streetview February 2017]
As you can see, it's a grand building. It sat dormant for years before being purchased and restored by a Christian music promoter.
Now called "Upper Room Chapel," it's open again, serving as a beautiful and useful facility again for prayer and worship.
Google Maps [streetview, February 2017]
Driving around the area that used to be Heritage USA seems to yield all sorts of probable park ruins to gawk at. This rock wall may have been part of the park, but who knows? It left a big impression, with many still wondering "What happened to Heritage USA?"
Even further down Regent Parkway from the Upper Room Chapel, you'll find this infamous pyramid that was frequently in the news at the time of the park's closing. The pyramid building is still standing today and is used as an office building.
Google Maps [streetview]

Check out this fascinating video from ABC News that shows both Heritage USA today and at its peak:

It’s such a strange feeling to drive around this area and see all the new growth springing up. Development is great, but this was once a Christian theme park in South Carolina that brought so much joy to so many families. Did you ever visit Heritage USA Theme Park? Share your experiences in the comments!

There are lots of intriguing historic sites and abandoned places in SC. If you love exploring ruins, you’ll love seeing the photos of this abandoned plantation in the Palmetto State. And if you’re up for an epic tour de force of all things abandoned in South Carolina, definitely check out this road trip we put together.

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More to Explore

Heritage USA Today

Sarah M. | May 04, 2022

Is Heritage USA the only abandoned theme park in South Carolina?

Absolutely not! We’ve featured abandoned places on Only In South Carolina before, like the Bon Haven mansion in Spartanburg and the infamous abandoned asylum in Columbia, but did you know that there is an entire neighborhood that was mysteriously abandoned in the Palmetto State? In a sense, you could almost call it a ghost town, even though it was never really an official town. Here's more information on this town:

  • Back in the 1930s, this neighborhood in Lee County, South Carolina, became known as "Ashwood Plantation." It was developed as part of the New Deal's "Resettlement Act" during the Roosevelt Administration. The project was an effort to resettle families in hardship onto farmland. In all, Ashwood Plantation boasted 11,336 acres with at least 153 homes, some of them brand new, others newly remodeled.
  • The project included 745 acres dedicated to a school and gymnasium.
  • It also built and developed community services, including a cotton gin, livestock corral, and loading chute, hatchery and brooder, sweet potato curing plant, feed and grist mill, general store, repair shop, garage, and a gas station. In other words, Ashwood was designed to be a thriving and bustling community, but sometime in the late '30s and '40s, pretty much everyone had up and left.

 

What are some other abandoned places near me in South Carolina?

If you're into exploring the forsaken and abandoned, this abandoned places road trip through South Carolina is for you! If you enjoyed learning about Heritage USA, the abandoned theme park in South Carolina, you'll be delighted to learn that this road trip ventures to Springs Recreation Park, another abandoned park in the Palmetto State with a similar story. This road trip ventures straight through the heart of South Carolina, in fact, so there are sure to be some awesome abandoned places to explore in your neck of the woods!

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Fort Mill, SC, USA